RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

Graham,

That looks like a really nice original 44 Special Standard. I have a similar one, although mine is perhaps not quite as nice original as yours. At this moment I can't find a good outdoor photo of mine, so I'm attaching one of it parked in the barn with it's friends.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

JB,
Thanks for showing the picture of your 44 Special, I bought my 44 at a local auction a few years ago before I realy got into collecting Masseys. After I had bought it the under bidder asked me if I wanted to buy a front end loader he told me had he bought the tractor he would have repainted it and fitted the loader, after hearing that I was very pleased I got it.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

JB:

When I saw this picture of the 44 Special in the snow I thought it was my tractor... It would be great to put a couple of these next to each other and compare to see just how nice they are.

Here is a poor picture of my 44 Special the tractor is dirty and dusty in this picture. This tractor was very close to the end of production SN 60390 and the wheels were painted silver over the yellow and the air stack and voltage regulator were painted Bronze very early in it's life I am sure just to make it look like the newer models.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

Graham, John and Joe,

I also thought it was my tractor in Graham's photo. The 44 Special standards are a great tractor. Easy to get on and off, roomy operstor's platform, easy steering, rugged, powerful for their time, and great looking as well! I didn'r realize there were so many nice originals in captivity.

Here is mine, a 1954 model. SN 53935 It came out of south central Kansas just over 15 years ago. I also included a picture of it with my 1953 44 Special RC. SN 51034 They are both 99% completely factory original, right down to the decals. Just the way the boys in Racine put them together sixty years ago!

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

Bob,
That is a nice looking original pair of 44 Specials you have there. Our 44 Special (number 59675) is fairly much just the way it was built, I am sure even the tires are original. Joe, Yours looks a nice one also.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

I guess there is more 44 special standards around in good original condition than I thought. Here is a picture of ours. Original tires as far as I know, but the grille has been smashed up once so it is not too good. Ths tractor still a the original dealer decals on the gas tank from Crookston MN just 75 miles from here.

I forgot the serial number the first time but it is 53764 so I guess it is a 54.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

This one is our most used tractor around the farm. Not a bad original also. this one is 40343.
In my spare time I want to get out our 444 standard and get it cleaned up, should be another nice tractor from the local area.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

Malcolm,
Hope you are ready for the New Years start up and road run and the weather is good.
Next year I hope to have our new garage insulated so I will be able to take part however cold it is.
The shop always seems to be full of tractors that don't run this time of year.

RE:New Years Day Start up and Road Run.

Graham,

Unfortunatley New Years Day here was very miserable, heavy rain with high winds all day, even the tractors looked sorry for themselves in the shed with heavy condensation on them, certainly not good for magneto reliability.

I think we could all do with insulated air conditioned sheds for our collections, it's justifying the expense and running costs which seems to be the stumbling block.

I thought you would have that nice original styled Pacemaker ready for your New Years Day test run, what is holding you up?

Today is a much better day here in Lincolnshire, still very cold but a glimmer of sunshine and some blue sky, so it was time for my late "New Years Run"

This one did not take much starting, but the operator needed a little coaxing to get him going whilst still recouperating from a bad back. This CCM Massey is beleived to be an original import to England and for many years has been in a cycle collection / museum in Devon, the last time it was out and saw the light of day was for the Massey 150th Anniversary Show at the Royal Showground, Stoneleigh in 1997, unfortunately the owner passed away and it came to my collection in the fall of 2013.